Balance
by jemu
Summary: Chapter two up! Four mages are promised their Balance to keep the plain of existence alive. What happans when they reject that balance? Please read and review !Yaoi:SJ:YY:BR:MM WIP
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Balance  
Author: Jemu  
Rating: R (smack on an R for language since I'm not quite sure.)  
Pairing(s): SetoJou**

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Beta: S****hinigamigrl07****  
Spoilers: N/A  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh and all it's characters; locations; etc. do not belong to me nor do I gain any profit from this.  
Summary: A Chaos Mage sweeps into Domino City wrecking havoc through all that he passes. What happens when his Balance is discovered?**

**A/N: If you are wondering about Maybe Now, yes I do plan on finishing that story. I've hit a writer's block so I'm waiting for the inspiration to hit right about now. I grew bored and let my mind wander. This is the product of its journey. Please review and let me know if this is worth continuing.**

**A/N: Thank you ****S****hinigamigrl07 for beta'ing this. Um, I better apologize to you now because I kind of added this little Shizuka tidbit after you already read the rest.. so sorry. It just hit me that I should write a little something something.

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"_In this world; lost in the transitions of time are eight major mages split into two House- Alba and Ater. You have Chaos, War, Hate, and Death- the House of Alba. To those four are their balance; their life line or soul mate as some might say. For Chaos there is Order. For War there is Peace. For Hate there is Love. And for Death there is Life. The House of Ater. Left alone, the House of Alba- the House of White, will create strife upon the world. It is not a case of wanting to find their balance, it is a case of necessity to find their balance. The House of Ater- the House of Black, is what keeps Alba sane and their powers controlled. And as every balance works, the same constraints apply for the House of Ater. Without the House of Alba, they too can and will cause strife upon the world. It is a delicate balancing act; an intricate dance that they alone are privy to. The world; past, present, and future are theirs to play with. Should they chose, the blink of an eye can make or break humanity. You do not know yet, but already so much rests on your shoulders.**"**_

_-Jounouchi Shizuka_

_Breakfast Conversations #01_

**Prologue - Here Enters Jounouchi Katsuya, Number One Nullifier **

"_The balance is near_."

"Wat?"

"Huh? Did I say something?"

"I dunno, did ya?"

"I don't think I did."

"Hmm." Jounouchi Katsuya replied absently. Slender fingers plowed through wispy gold hair moving with a restless energy to settle on narrow hips. Like spun silk, a curtain of gold fell over warm honey brown eyes; eyes that skittered impatiently through the crowded airport pick-up area. Beside him, and perched almost demurely on a large blood red luggage bag, was his one and only little sister, Shizuka. Her own shade of honey brown eyes were hidden behind dark shades, a brighter honey then his. Hair, the shade of a reddish brunette, tumbled down around her waist framing a round baby face. Jounouchi scratched absently at abs covered by a soft cotton t-shirt with the words, Bloody Wanker, scrolled boldly across. America had treated his sister good, he decided. She had gotten a tan and even grown a bit taller. Though she still spoke with a Japanese accent, her English was flawless and fluent. She had grown more confident as a young adult and that made Jou beam with hidden pride. His little sister was the best.

"Jounouchi!" The cry had his head swiveling around instantly. Gold hair flew every which way as he frantically scanned the crowded area.

"Honda-kun!" Shizuka squealed in delight. Jou turned in time to see a tall, slender young teen pick up his litter sister and swing her around. She was giggling madly drawing the attention of passer bys. Her sunglasses remained unmoved. Jou scowled for old times sake and hauled his baby sister away from the teen. Before he could say, or do anything more, he was pulled into an enthusiastic hug.

"Jounouchi! Damn, but you're still a skinny bastard- itai!"

"Don't cuss in front of my sister." Jou snapped with a frown. But it melted away instantly to be replaced with an equally warm smirk. "Ditto, punk. Still racing that piece of junk?" Honda scowled and slugged him on his right shoulder.

"That piece of junk is my babe… after Otogi of course." He quickly added shooting a guilty look at another teen behind him. It was only then that Jou noticed the hovering male. Tall, obviously shorter then Honda with long raven black hair pulled into a pony-tail and deep emerald green eyes. Two dice hung from his ear dangling with the smallest movement of his head. The red and black headband went perfectly with the red vest and black leather pants. Leather, Jou shuddered at the thought of such constriction. Honda reached back and pulled the slender teen forward. "Jounouchi, Shizuka, this is my," A slight pause and Jou noted with barely contained glee, a bright red flush, "boyfriend, Ryuuji Otogi. Otogi, these are my friends, Jounouchi Katsuya and his sister Jounouchi Shizuka." With an easy smirk Otogi dipped into a slight bow.

Jou frowned when Shizuka blushed at the other teen's antics. "Hajime mashite." She murmured shyly.

"Doozo yoroshiku." He replied. A charmer, eh? Well, he could deal. Honda saw his look and bent to whisper something to his boyfriend. Otogi shot him an amused look and purposefully bent closer to Shizuka. Jou growled and started to push up his sleeves, his hands forming fists. The 'Dice Dude', as Jou had dubbed him, pulled back with a soft chuckle and slung an arm casually around Honda. Athough casual it was _very_ possessive. "You don't need to worry about me coming on to Shizuka-san, Jounouchi-kun. I very much love my Hiroto." Jounouchi could not help but flush slightly in indignation. Shizuka placed her small hand over his arm.

"Lighten up, brother. He was just playing around." She giggled. "Besides, it was charming and you never let any guys hang around me." She said with a pout.

"That's because y'er my baby sister, y'er-"

"Beautiful and people are going to want to take advantage of me. Yes, yes, I know." She finished with a roll of her eyes. He nodded but the warm smirk was back and he quickly gave the place a once over.

"Shall we go?" He suggested shouldering a back pack and changing the subject.

"Oh, yeah!" Honda scrambled to help Shizuka with her luggage leaving Jou to eye 'dice boy' warily.

"So how long've you and Honda been together?" He asked keeping an eye on a joking Honda and Shizuka. They were engaged in an intense battle of words, a game often played as children, to see who could beat the other in longest words. Honda while still playing with Shizuka, absently lead them away; they were both ahead a few feet leaving Jou behind with Ryuuji.

"Hmm… about a year and a half." The other replied. Jounouchi noticed the way he eyed Honda's rear and chuckled mentally. "Before you ask, I met him at a motorcycle convention." Jou nodded absently. He was internally debating on whether he should have 'the talk' with Ryuuji or if he should lay off embarrassing his friend, Honda. Meh, he shrugged the thought off. Honda could take care of himself. Jou had a sudden thought.

"Yo, Honda! You still live in that hell house?" He called. A woman shot him a glare and he smirked at her when he heard the toddler next to her repeat that word. Honda flushed bright red and mumbled something that had Shizuka beaming with joy.

"No, he lives with me." Ryuuji replied coolly. Jounouchi raised an eyebrow, _oooh, is that so_? "Is your sister okay?"

"Yea, why do you ask?" Jou asked a little bit sharply. He eyed the other teen carefully. There was something… something off about the youth that prickled at Jou's other senses. "It's kind of strange for her to be wearing sunglasses when it's raining outside."

"Shizuka has sensitive eyes." What an understatement. "So she has to keep the glasses on all the time." He replied. Ryuuji pursed his lips thoughtfully. Jounouchi slid a sidelong glance at the other teen before shrugging and hurrying his steps to catch up with his sister.

"How long are you staying this time, Jounouchi?" Honda asked when he caught up. Shizuka laughed and Jou chuckled.

"I didn't tell ya? I'm here to stay, man. We're living here now. My old man's got a job in town so me'n'Shizuka'll be going to school with ya too." Jou replied smirking when Honda laughed in delight. Ryuuji shot Jou a glare but otherwise did not stop his conversation with Shizuka. They left the building entering an underground parking lot lit in pale florescent lights. "Dude, you didn't tell me ya owned a jeep." Jou commented when Honda stopped at the back of a black jeep. Honda shrugged carefully loading in Shizuka's luggage.

"Nah, this isn't mine. It's Otogi's." He replied.

"What's mine?"

"The jeep." Honda said. And now that he mentioned it, Jou could see all the dice accessories inside. The dangling stuffed dice hanging from the rearview mirror. A sticker of two dice on the back windows. The 'DD' on his license plate.

"Does your boyfriend have a dice fetish or something?" Jou whispered to Honda. Honda laughed.

"No, he's the creator of Dungeon Dice." He replied. Jou chuckled and shook his head but didn't comment. He climbed into the car after Shizuka and watched Honda settle in next to Ryuuji. They were whispering softly back and forth and Jou momentarily experienced a flash of jealousy for their shared intimacy. But then Honda turned around and he could not begrudge is best friend true happiness. In those dark eyes, he saw an inner light that glowed coming only from fierce internal joy. "So where to?"

"The old Minamoto house," Shizuka replied cheerfully. "I really missed this place. America is just so… different."

"Will you miss it?"

"Yeah, I'll miss it." Honda nodded sympathetically. He suddenly laughed.

"You'll have guys dancing around you in no time." He said. Jou mentally growled at the thought. "If you want I can introduce you to Anzu. She's a cheerleader so she knows every one pretty well."

"Hey, if you want, I'll even introduce you to some of the guys I know-"

"I don't think so." Jou instantly cut in. His glare was icy when it landed on Otogi. "No guys for my baby sister." He added patting Shizuka's arm. She scowled at him her brows dipping at the front to disappear under the black lenses.

"I'm not a baby, Katsuya!" She protested. He beamed proudly at her.

"Of course y'er not, 'Zuka-chan." He replied. "It's just that-"

"I'm your baby sister and I'm beautiful and every one wants to take advantage of me." She finished with roll of the eyes. Up in the front Honda and Otogi started laughing.

**School the next day -**

There was this small boy. He sat alone, ate alone, played alone; around his neck hung this large pyramid shaped pendent. At the oddest times, Jounouchi would find himself watching the boy from the corners of his eyes. His name was Yugi Mouto. Small in stature, round baby face, long spiky black hair with bleached bangs, and the largest saddest amethyst eyes that Jou had ever seen. And then there were the whispers; _freak, crazy, bizarre, weirdo. _Jounouchi quickly shook off his nostalgia and cursed as he danced out of reach.

His lips twisted in a silent snarl. Bullies, he hated them. And hey, just because he had been one in his middle school years meant nothing. The past was the past… but that did not mean that he tolerated this kind of abuse these days. "You think you're all that 'cause your from America? We'll you can just go back then, _freak_." The other taunted. Jounouchi hissed and lashed out smashing his fast into the other's face. With a satisfying crunch, the other teen's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Jounouchi spat on the comatose form.

"Fucking racist bastard. Can't get away from them anywhere," Jou muttered in disgust. He skirted the form and headed for the boy's bathroom near the tennis court. Now his knuckles were bloody and a bit torn, definitely sore. "For such a skinny little bastard, that shit-head had a pretty hard head," Jou muttered absently. He shoved the door open not even wincing at the resulting bang as the door rebounded off the opposite wall.

The cold water helped numb the pain some and washed away all the dirt and blood. He studied himself critically in the mirror and realized he had come a long way from the street punk. Physically Jou supposed he had not changed much. Same volumized gold hair, slightly narrow yellow-ish brown eyes and his father's pale complexion. He snorted at the image. What a bunch of bullshit, his father. Fucking hypocrite. He was happy to have Shizuka out of that hell-hole and only hoped his mother faired better.

Jou twisted the tap water off and swiped at his sweaty face with the hem of the blue uniform jacket. It was only when the facet had switched off that he heard it. Someone was in the bathroom softly sobbing their heart out. Jou stiffened indecisive if he should see what the problem was. And then he heard Shizuka's voice chastising him and winced. _'Fuck his image. Urge, he was becoming such a softie!'_ Jou inched along reluctantly. "Moshi moshi?" He called softly. No answer; the sobbing continued. Jou grimaced in distaste as he bent to peer under the stalls. Nothing. He followed the sound to the last stall and tentatively knocked. "Um, hey… are you okay?" No answer but the sobbing had suddenly cut off. There was a soft shuffle and a quiet click before the door swung open slightly and large purple eyes stared up at him. They were big, sad, watery, and utterly broken within the round pale baby face. "Uh… hey there, Mo-Mouto-kun. Are you okay? Of course y'er not." Jou quickly answered reprimanding himself for asking such a stupid question. To his horror, the large purple eyes grew more watery as tears spilled over running down in little rivulets. "Oh no! I'm sorry! Is there anything I can- yaaah!" He gave a startled shout when the stall door banged open and the small boy launched himself at Jou. Short arms snaked around his neck and latched on while tears rapidly soaked into his collar as the shorter teen loudly sobbed his heart out. "O-o-okaaaay." Jou exhaled shakily. He awkwardly patted the teen on his back sitting down with his legs crossed. The smaller teen instantly adjusted to cuddle into him wiggling into his lap.

Remembering when he had to comfort Shizuka, Jou made embarrassed soothing sounds while awkwardly patting the small teen's back. Eventually the body shaking sobs died down into pathetic sounding whimpers and sniffles. Jou patted the soft black spikes (must be natural or something) whispering random comforting words. Finally Mouto-kun pulled away and swiped clumsily at his eyes with tiny fists. "I'm sorry." Came the soft watery apology. And then suddenly he blinked and stiffened. "They're… they're gone!" He exclaimed.

"Eh? What's gone?" Jou echoed in confusion. Short stuff here was sure bipolar. The smaller teen pulled all the way away and did a little dance laughing in joy.

"They're gone!" He cried. He swung back, once watery amethyst eyes were now royal purple with elation. "Thank you! I don't know who you are but _thank you_!" Jounouchi snagged Mouto's arm when the teen looked like he was actually going to dance away. Talk about weird.

"Um, what exactly are gone?"

"The voices! They're all _gone_!"

"The voices?" Jou echoed skeptically.

"Yea! The voices that-" The other boy cut himself off when Jou's tone of voice registered and he lowered his eyes. Though it was not before Jou caught a glimpse of the crestfallen expression. "Never mind. It's nothing. Thank you." Mouto-kun whispered. Jou shook his head.

"Nuh uh. Spill, Short Stuff." When Mouto-kun continued to look like a mix between a frightened rabbit and a gaping fish, Jou softened slightly. "I ain't gonna laugh at you, 'kay, Mouto-kun? I promise… And besides, there are worst things in life then hearing voices." No response. "Come on, trust me, 'kay?" Jou did not quite understand why he was being so persistent but he felt as if he just _had_ to know.

Mouto-kun's chin lowered until it was practically resting on his small chest. "I… I hear voices." Came the almost silently whispered reply. "They… talk all the time, everywhere and anywhere." He mumbled. A flash of purple as Yugi quickly searched Jou's eyes for any hint that he was playing around or if he really wanted to know. "Do you believe in ghosts….." Mouto-kun floundered and bit his lower lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

"Jounouchi Katsuya, and yes I do believe in ghosts." He replied seriously. Enormous tears welled up and the smaller boy flung himself at Jou again.

"I see them! They won't leave me alone!" He wailed. "D-do you believe me? Please, do you believe me?" Jounouchi patted him absently on the back.

"Ya, actually I do believe you." Mouto-kun pulled back and searched Jou's eyes. When he saw that Jou was _very_ serious he once again fell into body wrenching sobs. Jou distracted himself with trying to get the boy to stop. At the very least, the bleak despair within the small teen's eyes had vanished.

"Yugi? Are you in here?" Jou shifted slightly to peer past Mouto-kun's shoulder. He had not heard the bathroom door open and it worried him slightly that any one could have come in and he would not have known. "Yugi?" Came the timid call again and suddenly, a head popped into view from where a stall door had been blocking. Shaggy white hair fell in uneven waves in front of another round baby face. Round brown eyes blinked at them before a pale hand pushed aside the stall door revealing a short angular teen. Jounouchi had never seen this kid around. "Yu…gi?"

A soft sniffle and a few pats passed before Mouto-kun lifted his head and peered blearily up at the new teen. "Ryou?" The other teen gave a muffled sob and launched himself at Mouto-kun. Jounouchi gave an soft _oomph_ of exhaled air when the impact landed both him and Mouto-kun hard into his lap. They were clutching at each other, sobbing and whispering softly. Jou leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

This must be his day or something. He had not only one but _two_ crying teens in his lap. Oh joy. Oh wondrous joy. Some one must be laughing their head off in the heavens. Two complete strangers wailing on his shoulders. Jou did not bother them though. He just let them curl up on his lap and cuddle and touch each other in reassurance. Wow. Life was weird, Jou decided with a nod. His life here was definitely stranger then the one in America. He had had to deal with Shizuka's prophesizing and all that strange stuff, so ghosts… he could deal with that. Ghosts were just one step away from Shizuka's 'breakfast prophecies'. Right? Weren't they? He frowned. Maybe they weren't. Maybe they were more like his mom's witchcraft. You know, no, not the whole 'boil boil bubble' thing, and not even the 'Harry Potter' kind too. Nope it was the symbols, the herbs, the curses, and blessings; just the simple stuff. He'd always watched his mom, but for some reason, she'd always just smile at him and made sure he never touched anything. He'd never done anything as cool and scary as making spells or Shizuka telling the future at breakfast.

Jou shifted and realized that his legs were asleep. Not only that, but the two crying teens were also asleep in his lap. "Oh great…." He groaned. "First day of school and I already have a lapful of trouble." When he realized what he'd said, Jou groaned again. "Bad time fer a pun." He grumbled. Jou tried to discreetly shift his legs but grimaced when pins and needles swept up the length of them. He cursed and slouched back into the wall. The two bodies in his lap rearranged themselves into a comfortable curl and Jou went back to staring at the ceiling.

His life was just fucking great. From America to Japan. From one fucked up place to another. He'd just bet that the school year was going to be any thing but boring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Balance  
Author: Jemu  
Rating: R (smack on an R for language since I'm not quite sure.)  
Pairing(s): SetoJou**

** Spoilers: N/A  
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh and all it's characters; locations; etc. do not belong to me nor do I gain any profit from this.  
Summary: A Chaos Mage sweeps into Domino City wrecking havoc through all that he passes. What happens when his Balance is discovered?**

**A/N: Wow! I actually managed to squeeze out a chapter two! I'm really surprised. Well, it's random where I just pieced together a bunch of paragraphs that I wrote at different times. I hope you'll like this next chapter... I was hoping that it'd be a lot longer but... over 3000 words? Niiiiccee! I shall warn you a head of time, there probably _will_ be inconsistancies.  
**

** Please read and review! It lets me know that my story is being read and liked enough for me to stay on it.**

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"_I saw you at the park today, big brother. With a friend."_

"_Yea? Ya mean Honda?"_

"_No. He had brown hair and blue eyes. You were on a leash and called him master."_

_- Jounouchi Shizuka, Jounouchi Katsuya_

_Breakfast Conversations #02_

**Chapter One – And Then There Are More…..**

What time was it? He felt as if hours had passed. His legs and butt were numb while his stomach was beginning to cramp from hunger. The two small forms curled up in his lap were a heavy dead weight contrary to their tiny stature. His hands were tucked behind his head absently combing through long blond strands as he contemplated the ceiling. There were holes. Just tiny little cracks that was barely noticeable and faded. He wondered where he had placed his lunch or if Shizuka had even remembered to pack him any. That lead to thoughts of the school his sister was enrolled in and he mentally growled. There had been a boy there that had been eyeing her, he just knew it!

Softly mumbled words and the rustle of cloth threw him out of his thoughts and he looked down to his lap at the waking teen. Something suddenly jabbed him hard in his numb thigh. Jou yelped and jerked back slamming his head into the wall. He paused in disorientation waiting patiently for the pain to pass. He noted the small hands patting urgently on his body and two voices talking rapidly. Jou blinked rapidly clearing his vision and waved away the two hands feeling him up and down. The voices faded. He shook his head one last time impatiently brushing back loose strands of hair and focused on the two teenagers standing on either side of him.

Mouto-kun stood on his left biting his lip with his hands twisted into the hem of his blue uniform jacket. The other teen shifted nervously from foot to foot on Jou's right. When Mouto-kun realized that Jou was all right, he lurched forward with his hands outstretched and latched onto Jou's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He chanted. Jou grabbed his little hand with a grimace.

"S'okay, Mouto-kun." He reassured. There was a feather light pressure on his other shoulder and he turned to the other boy. He mentally winced at the watery quality of the mystery teen's big brown eyes. "Uh, please don't cry, 'kay, kid?" The other boy bit his lower lip and nodded in a jerky manner. His eyes lowered.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. Jou shook his head while wondering why he always drew the weird kids.

"Like I told, Mouto-kun. 'S'okay man." He repeated. Maybe if he said it enough the two would stop looking like kicked bunnies or something. He grimaced again as a painful tingling swept up his legs. "Ooookay, legs hurtin' really bad 'bout now." He whimpered and writhed slightly on the floor. Fire swept up his legs so painful he almost wished they were numb again. The two other teens looked guilty and on the brink of another panic attack.

Jou exhaled hard when his legs finally stopped tingling and the feeling returned to his legs again. "Ugh." He groaned. "Are you okay now, Jounouchi-kun?" Mouto-kun asked shifting restlessly and wringing his hands. Jou raked a hand through his hair and exhaled again.

"Yea, I'm good." He pushed himself to his feet stamping them to make sure the feeling had returned. "You okay now, Mouto-kun?" The little boy blushed and nodded. Jou turned to the other boy. "You okay too?"

White bangs covered shy brown eyes as the other boy lowered his eyes and nodded. "Yes." He murmured. Jou rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the two teens. They stared back at him. Finally Jou twitched and shifted ready to leave the bathroom.

"Uh, well, I'll be going then." He moved to pass them when suddenly Mouto-kun lurched forward and grabbed his arm.

"Uh, um, uh, y-you're new here right?" He stuttered speaking so fast the words sounded a bit slurred.

"Yea, what of it?" Jou replied warily.

Mouto-kun beamed happily turning to stare at his friend. "Well we can show you around, right Ryou?"

The other boy hesitantly returned Mouto-kun's smile though his was a lot shyer. "We can do that." He agreed softly. Mouto-kun swung large purple eyes up to bore into his. "Is that all right with you?" His eyes practically begged for Jou to say yes. Jou mentally groaned suddenly glad that Honda was picking up Shizuka after school. He forced a smile and shrugged.

"Eh, why not." He didn't mention that he was originally from this area. The other two followed him out of the bathroom and as if it were nothing, casually slipped their tiny hands into his bigger ones. Jounouchi suddenly and honestly felt like a freaking nerd. He was walking down the school path towards the gate with two teenagers that looked more like little seven year olds, holding both their hands while they nattered cheerfully on with each other. He wondered again why he had left America.

"…And Tokujin swung up-"

"But Tokujin is dead!"

"No! He swung up and-"

They were holding his hand. _His hand_! In public. These two… students, for lack of better word, were holding his hand. Mouto-kun on his right and Bakura-kun on his left. They were both arguing about something and seemed to have forgotten he was even there. Yet both refused to relinquish his hand. He could see the other students whispering. He could even see that dumb bully he beat up earlier running away. He smirked; oh ya, run ya dumb chicken!

The weather was off today. Yesterday had been a bit hot and heavily humid. Today, a chill wind curled around his lanky form while dark clouds grumbled overhead. The occasional lightening arched across the sky flaring a blinding blue-white.

Outside the school gates perched a dark green jeep. And surprisingly at the wheel was Honda. Jou frowned. Otogi was sprawled on the passenger's seat with his head tipped back, tie undone, and eyes shut. He looked even paler then his usual light complexion.

"Whatsa matter with him?" Jounouchi drawled.

"Some crap guy's in town." Honda growled. "Kaiba Seto or something. Stressing Otogi out."

"Ooooohhh! You mean that billionaire that owns Kaiba Corporations?" Mouto-kun demanded.

Honda seemed to realize that there were two small strangers with Jounouchi and swung to stare at his friend. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the clasped hands. "Gonna introduce us?" He inquired nodding towards the two teenagers.

Jounouchi shrugged, "Honda, dude here with the black spiky hair is Mouto Yugi and his friend is… uh…"

"Bakura Ryou." Bakura-kun finished flushing slightly.

Jou nodded. "Yea, Mouto-kun, Bakura-kun, this is my friend Honda Hiroto and Ryuuji Otogi."

"Nice to meet you." The two teen holding Jou's hand mumbled. Honda nodded echoing them lowly.

"I heard this morning Kaiba Seto is planning to move his corporation headquarters here." Bakura-kun suddenly said. Pale lids slid open to reveal dark emerald green eyes. Dice earrings jangled as the self made millionaire sat up.

"Yeah, and he's bringing major competition for Dungeon Dice." Otogi muttered. "Something I don't need right now!"

"Oh yeah, are you coming with us, Jou?" Honda broke in.

"Nah, not today Honda. Let Shizuka know would ya? I'll be with the short stuffs' 'ere." Honda nodded absently and Jou suddenly realized how haggard him and Otogi looked. Man, who ever this Kaiba Seto was… Jou shook his head. He wiggled his hands out of the two smaller hands and reached over Otogi to snag his friend's shoulder. "Hey, don't work yerself into a pit now ya hear? I don't want Shizuka comin' after me for not watchin' out for ya two."

Honda flashed him a tired grin. "Yeah, no problem dude." Jou briefly returned the grin but was still slightly worried. "Seriously. I have a feeling things are going to work themselves out." Honda added. Jou drew away with a troubled look on his face but nodded. With a loud squeal of tires, Honda pulled away. The blond watched until a tug on the hem of his uniform jacket attracted his attention.

"Hey, you ready to go Jounouchi-kun?" Mouto-kun asked.

"Yea. Comin'." He shivered. Two small hands slipped back into his. "So uh, where we goin'?"

"There's this great bakery behind Yugi's game shop. One of our friend works there." Bakura-kun replied.

The streets and sidewalk were deserted. The after school rush seemingly having no affect on the traffic flow. The two teens walked close to Jou occasionally brushing against his arms.

"Hey… you think maybe Malik is working today?" Mouto-kun mused softly. Bakura-kun grimaced.

"He said he was going to be working full shift for a while so he could fly his sister out here." Bakura-kun replied.

Mouto-kun grinned. "Now why would he want to do that? I thought she worked with museums? Aren't they putting up a new one on Egypt or something?"

"She does… and they are." Bakura-kun replied.

Jou absently listened keeping pace with their steps. If he ever faltered, they would tug him into step again. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead and the sky flared again as lightening streaked the heavens. A second later the skies opened and rain poured down on them.

They quickly pulled him forward into a small dainty little shop. The scent of freshly baked bread wafted out to greet them. An averaged height male slouched behind the counter. Limp blond hair fell in soft waves around his head like a dirty gold halo. His features were sharp and foreign like the bronze of his skin. "Yay! My favorite little men!" He crowed taking a half step back to jump the counter. Jou hung back faintly amused by the youth. Mouto-kun and Bakura-kun mobbed the only slightly taller teen babbling about school and their weekends.

The youth jumped right into the fray adding his own voice to the chaos. It seemed as if they were starting up a shouting match as each fought to be heard over the other. Jou took this time to wander the bakery. He would pause over a delicious looking cake or pastry and take a deep breath before moving on. Near the front safely locked behind a display case was the most delicious, moist looking piece of cake Jou had ever seen. His hands and nose were pressed flat against the glass as he salivated heavily to the sight.

"….Jou..uchi…un….Jo..nu…chi…ku..! _Jounouchi-kun_!" Jou jumped and swung around. He flushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at the three pairs of eyes trained on him. "Jounouchi-kun, are you all right?"

He nodded. "Ha, yea. Sorry, that cake just looks delicious!" They all smiled.

"Ah, well, Jounouchi-kun, this is Istar Malik, Malik, this is Jounouchi Katsuya, our new friend." Mouto-kun introduced beaming brightly. Jounouchi dipped into a slight bow.

"Please to meet you." He murmured. Istar-kun echoed him.

"If I may ask, how did you guys become friends?" He asked. Jounouchi chuckled absently rubbing the back of his neck. Mouto-kun mumbled something flushing while Bakura-kun stood beside him already a bright tomato red.

"We met in the bathroom and just kind of hit it off." Jou summarized with a shrug. He shot Mouto-kun and Bakura-kun sympathetic looks.

"Is that so?"

"Mouto-kun and Bakura-kun-"

"Just Yugi, Jounouchi-kun."

"Yes, please. Just Ryou for me too."

"Uh, okay. Mou- Yugi was… in distress," Jou mentally cringed at the word. "And I was helping him when Ba- Ryou came in and found us." Yugi was nodding growing more and more excited.

"They're gone, Malik! _Gone_!" He burst out. Jou was confused at first and thought that Istar-kun would be too, but the other teenager wasn't. In fact, lavender eyes widened in disbelief and pinned him with a deep soul searching stare. Jou shifted uneasily under the intense gaze.

"Uh… yea, so I guess I'll just be going now." Jou said moving to leave. Three bodies stirred simultaneously to stop him.

"No! Wait… you said that you liked that cake? Have you eaten? No? Good. Just hold on a few minutes. I'm finished here anyway. I'll join you guys for a late lunch and we can talk!" Malik hastily said. Three sets of eyes focused imploringly at him. With a mental sigh and shrug, Jou nodded.

* * *

**A Year Later**

It was hot and humid. Little heat waves could be seen rising from the cement sidewalk. Not a cloud darkened the clear blue sky and with the shades either too small or already occupied, Jou was left to ambling along in the blistering heat. He licked dry lips, his throat feeling parched. For once he had gathered the long blond strands of hair into a lopsided ponytail annoyed of having to constantly brush or blow it out of his face. Sweat rolled down in tiny droplets down the side of his face while he fanned himself occasionally with the newspaper in his right hand. Jou hoped and prayed that the subway would not be crowded with the usual after school rush. It was with a loud exhale of relief that Jou entered the underground subway leaving much of the heat behind. To his disdain the subway _was_ crowded. School girls in skimpy short skirts flounced around in flocks of three's and four's. Business men in dark suits clutching briefcases stood impatiently tapping their feet or checking their watches. He scanned the crowd and noticed a long kid crammed into a dark corner. Large eyes stared mournfully at the crowd while fat droplets of tears rolled down plump pale cheeks. Black hair rose in chaotic spikes flattened by the wall he pressed himself against.

Jou frowned first thinking that it was another homeless kid but he caught the flash of an expensive logo on the shirt and concluded that the kid must be lost. A pang went through his heart as he mentally replaced the kid with his baby sister, Shizuka. This was some one's little brother. He shoved his way through the crowd.

"Yo kid, you lost?" Jou demanded softly crouching down to the kid's level. The kid hastily swiped at the tears before focusing those large mournful eyes on Jou. Jou repeated the question. The boy hesitated then slowly stuttered out in shaky Japanese that he didn't understand the language. Jou frowned then grew thoughtful and switched to English. He repeated the question. The kid nodded. "Hmm.. Is there some one who can come pick you up if you call?"

The boy sniffled. "My older brother but…. But I don't know his new number. We just moved here from Egypt and my brother had to change his number. I was on my way home… and I got lost… and some one stole my back pack- my brother's number is in there." He explained sniffling with every few words. So he was right, this kid was some one's younger brother. Jou offered the kid a gentle smile.

"Well then we can't have that." He held out a hand. "Come on, we'll go see if some one has filed a missing person's report." The kid hesitated looking worried. His eyes darted from left to right as he nervously bit his lip.

"M-my brother said to never talk to strangers." He whispered. Jou frowned thoughtfully. He brightened struck with a thought and rooted around his neck. A silver chain glittered in the bright lighting with a heart locket pendent dangling at the end was pulled from within the depths of his shirt. He popped the top of the locket open tilting it so that the by could see inside.

"You see this? This is my baby sister, Shizuka. You see, I'm her oldest brother!" Jou declared proudly. "And I would be very sad if she got lost and I couldn't find her. This locket is the most important thing to me." He bit his lip then smiled and reached forward to clasp the clap locket around the boy's scrawny neck. "But… but I'm going to give it to you because I trust you with it. And if I become mean and evil you can take that and run, okay?" The kid looked at Jou as if he was very stupid but then reached down and gently touched the necklace. He finally looked up and smiled hesitantly.

"Okay."

"Cool. Come on. I'm on my way home. We can stop by the police station and check out what they say." Jou held out his hand again and this time the kid took it. "By the way, I'm Jounouchi Katsuya but you can call me Jou."

"I'm Mokuba Kaiba."

* * *

The house seemed empty when Jou finally got home. He toed off his shoes taking the time to pick them up and face them outward before calling out, "I'm home!" He turned to find Mokuba hovering hesitantly at the door. "Come in. Just don't forget to take your shoes off."

"Welcome home, brother." They both looked up. Shizuka stood in front of them smiling. When she saw Mokuba her smile grew bigger. "Hi, I'm Jounouchi Shizuka! What's your name?"

"Hi." He replied shyly flushing slightly. "I'm Mo- ah, Kaiba Mokuba."

"He'll be staying with us for a while, that okay?" Jou asked absently tugging his sock off.

"Yup! Come on Mokuba! I'll show you around." Mokuba turned gazing inquiringly at Jou. At the blondes nod, the kid quickly toed off his shoes. She led the boy off chattering cheerfully all the way. He shot Jou a hesitant smile before hurrying after her. Jou sighed and stopped trying to tug off his socks in favor of rubbing his eyes tiredly. He absently fanned himself and exhaled loudly. He slouched forward and raked a hand through his hair. His hand came to a sudden stand still encountering the sloppy ponytail. He fingered the area before pulling out the pink scrunchi and shaking out the ponytail. He scowled at the feminine color and shoved it into his pocket. The phone went off and he scrambled to his feet to answer. He tripped on his sock and slammed his knee. The phone rung again. He crawled quickly forward and snatched up the receiver.

"Yea, uh, hello?"

"Ugh, if another person calls me again I'm going to kill them!" Came a disgruntled voice from the other side. Jou blinked then grinned and leaned back on his palms.

"Lemme guess, another one calling to confess their undying love to you, Malik?"

A snort. "Yes. I told her to shove it." Jou chortled.

"Uh, that's kind of mean, Malik."

"I'm ready to jump off a cliff." He cursed softly. "Anyway, can I spend the night there? Another of these calls and I'm going to go crazy. I think that charm you made me has expired."

Jou stared absently at the framed photo of a toddler him beaming proudly with a baby Shizuka cradled in his arms. "Sure, Malik. You know you're welcome here anytime."

"Don't say that to me. I just might run off to come live with ya-"

"Yeah right, and have Isis come after me? I don't think so."

"She'll understand. I think she's ready to kick me out anyway." Jou grunted in answer. Malik sighed. "Anyway, I have to close tonight so expect me late all right?"

"Sure. I'll see you later then."

"Yup. _Ugh, stupid dumb bit-_" Click. Jou chuckled hanging up the receiver. A lazy bone popping stretch later and Jou was wandering the house in search of his sister and guest. He found them upstairs in the guest bedroom going through the closet. "Yo, Malik's spending the night, s'alright with you?"

Shizuka pulled out of the mess in the closet. "Huh? Oh yea, okay."

Jou nodded. "He'll be by later." He turned to go but paused at the door. "Hey, did you already eat?" She shook her head. Mokuba had already pulled out of the closet but only peered shyly at Jou. "All right, I'll go make something for us then. Oh, and Mokuba? Will it be all right if we visit the police station tomorrow?" Mokuba nodded.

Shizuka suddenly spoke up, "That's right! Otogi and Honda are in the living room. Don't worry big brother. Me and Mokuba will make something and you can go join them."

"But Shizuka! I already-" She pushed past his refusals and ushered him to the stairs.

"No, no. I insist. This way, I can show Mokuba the kitchen too!" Jou rolled his eyes and shoved a hand through his hair as he slinked down the steps. Whatever. Down the hallway at the bottom of the stairs and around a corner was the door to the living room. He shoved it open.

"You know," Otogi started absently. He sat serenely upright with his knees crossed. A teacup was cradled in his hands. The tie around his neck had been loosened and the top three buttons on his shirt undone. Honda sat next to him in the same position cradling his own teacup. He had just returned from the car shop and had oil smeared along his black t-shirt and streaked on his cheekbones. Oil stained finger tips gripped the teacup delicately as Honda raised the cup to his lips. Jounouchi sat down across from them bracing an elbow on the table with his chin in hand. "A good host general greets their guests." Jou grunted. Honda sipped his tea silently with his eyes closed as if he was concentrating on a particularly strong thought. "I have to keep reminding myself that you're not up here on the intelligence scale." Otogi mused loudly. He pouted when he realized the two men were not even really paying him the attention he wanted. He sipped his tea sullenly. "Well, I'll just go dance on the moon now." He muttered. Honda calmly placed his teacup down before reaching calmly over and pulled the sullen teen close. He whispered something that had Otogi grinning mischievously a second later.

"I brought some rich kid home." Otogi lazily turned to eye him at the random statement.

"Is that so?" He drawled slowly. "Do tell."

"His name is Mokuba Kaiba and-"

"Kaiba!" And suddenly Otogi was all ears. His tea cup rattled as it was abruptly placed on the table. "As in Kaiba _Seto_'s little brother? Please tell me you didn't kidnap him!"

"No! What kind of person do you think I am? No, no. Do _not _answer that." Jou huffed indignantly at Otogi's expression. "What should I do?"

"Maybe you should call his brother." Honda replied evenly. Jou scratched his head and sighed.

"Sounds good to me. I don't have his number though…….. But _you_ do, don't you?" He turned to face Otogi. Otogi sighed tiredly and dragged out his wallet. He flipped through a few business cards quietly muttering to himself before pulling out a plain white card.

"Here. His private line and everything. Get the poor kid home." Otogi slid the card across the table to Jou. Jou nodded his thanks and picked up the small business card quickly scanning the contents.

Otogi returned his focus to Honda. Honda had resumed calmly sipping his tea. Jou stood and stretched. He left the room half listening to Otogi and Honda's quiet murmurs. He bit his bottom lip hand hovering over the receiver. There was a moment of disquiet in his heart as he considered the ramifications of making the call. He picked up the receiver and hesitated again… but he could relate to how losing a sibling felt. Jou shook off the hesitation and started dialing.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! Review and let me know what you think!**


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